So today we got 2 feet of fresh powder up at our house in the foothills of colorado. I was able to make it up the canyon no problem. Then I crossed my bridge and turned off my traction control and went at the driveway. I didn't make it very far. I killed the engine hopped out, and began shoveling. I got all of the top snow off and there was just a small amount of snow left on the ground I hopped back in and saw what I could do. Nothing. I tried a bit more. After awhile It got to the point of thoroughly disappointing me. Now I know my tires are bad, and I'm hoping thats the only issue, because It would be a shame to see a car come from subaru that doesn't do well in snow. So how does everyone else's do?

Ellesedil

04-17-2013 07:03 PM

I managed to drive my car, literally, onto a snowbank (and got it stuck because there was some packed snow supporting my undercarriage, taking the weight off my tires).

If you want to be unstoppable in snow, you need good snow tires.

pfoyle

04-17-2013 07:22 PM

Yup, definitely sounds like your tires are the weakest link... as an extreme example, picture putting racing slicks on any car... you're not going anywhere, regardless of what kind of AWD/4WD etc system it has...

A good all season will do you good if your not looking to swap tires each season. Subarus are great in snow but when it gets so deep that you get hung on the body you're done. 2 feet is alot im jealous!!

SurlyOldManMN

04-17-2013 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hmmrdwn
(Post 4394417)

No tires work well unless you have the ground clearance.

I did surprisingly well in deep snow this year being a lot lower than I really care for. I'm sure my front clip didn't appreciate it and I know for a fact my undercarriage was not amused...

Magic Marker

04-17-2013 08:04 PM

I've always run with OEM A/S and never really had snow issues.

jandreaur

04-17-2013 08:07 PM

Bridgestone Blizzak WS-70 are awesome in the snow in Maine. I've only gotten stuck once because I didn't shut off the traction control and lost momentum. Otherwise, the car seems unstoppable!

acumenhokie

04-18-2013 06:44 AM

I'm in the Mid-Atlantic where we get only a few snow storms a year and I still run separate winter/summer setups. As has been said over and over again it's all about the tires.

hmmrdwn

04-18-2013 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SurlyOldManMN
(Post 4394420)

I did surprisingly well in deep snow this year being a lot lower than I really care for. I'm sure my front clip didn't appreciate it and I know for a fact my undercarriage was not amused...

Yeah, you are right. A guy can go through light fluffy powder, but any depth and moisture and our cars are high centered.

KSpan

04-18-2013 07:40 PM

Ours got stuck in about 14 inches on our street, but the wife dang near made it home. This was with the stock Turanzas... I'm betting that she would've had zero issues with snow tires.

lane5515

04-18-2013 07:56 PM

We got pounded with 11" of wet, heavy snow this past weekend. I helped dig and push out two front wheel drive cars that got stuck and then hopped in my Legacy and drove right through the unplowed streets. I have the OEM Bridgestone Turanza tires (only 1,500 miles on them).

NoDak

04-22-2013 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lane5515
(Post 4396170)

We got pounded with 11" of wet, heavy snow this past weekend. I helped dig and push out two front wheel drive cars that got stuck and then hopped in my Legacy and drove right through the unplowed streets. I have the OEM Bridgestone Turanza tires (only 1,500 miles on them).

wait until you get 20-25k+ on them. they are crap up here in ND after that.

miltoney

04-22-2013 05:11 PM

Agree with the need for good tires. I also have the Bridgestone Turanza tires and it didn't take me long to realize they are absolute crap in the snow. The car was skating all over the place, handled worse than my son's one wheel drive elantra. Put a set of Firestone Winterforce tires on and it solved that problem. AWD is only as good as the tires hooking it to the ground.